Oil btjektee



Jan. 16', 1923. 1,442,673.

a. A. LEE.

OIL BURNER.

FILED DEC. 2,1920- -2- SHEETS- 5EE?! l- 2 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

a. A. LEE. 0|L BURNER. FILED DEC:- 2, 1920.

Jan. 16, 1923.

Patented Jan. 16, 1923.

G-USSIE A. LEE, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

OIL BURNER.

Application filed December 2, 1920.

To (die/17mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, G'USSIE A. LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nobraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oil Burners, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvc ments in oil burners and more particularly to those of the type adapted for use in connection with stoves, furnaces and the like, to adapt the same for the burning of oil instead of coal and similar fuels. The primary object of the invention is to provi-z e a novel and improved oil burner of this character whereby a more complete combustion of the oil is insured, especially when crude oil or the heavier oils are used, the burner having a superheater or chamber into which the oil passes on its way to the Zone of combustion, wherein the oil is heated up to a temperature which will insure complete vaporization thereof when it reaches the Zone of combustion, a distributor or equalizer which is located opposite to the orifice through. which the oil vapor discharges into the zone of combustion and which spreads the vapor in the form of an annular flaring body of substantially uniform thickness, and in a condition most suitable for its efilcient combustion, and means for supplying air to such annular oil vapor or body both interiorly and exteriorly, one of those air supplies preferably feeding superheated or preheated air to the oil vapor to insure conuiletc and eilicient combustion. thereof.

ilther features of the invention are to provide an improved mounting for the hurncr relatively to a base or supporting plate, whereby the burner may be levelled to insure correct operation of the burner, and to provide a novel mounting for the heated oil supply chamber, whereby the latter may be easily and quickly removed, it then uncovering and exposing the oil vaporizing or feeding portion of the burner for cleaning.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more, fully described, the features of noveltybeing pointed'out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

Serial No. 427,787.

In the accompanying drawing 2-.

Flgure l is a top plan view of an oil burner constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 represents a central vertical section through the burner taken on the line Q2 of Figure 1;

Figure 8 represents a horizontal section through the burner taken on the line of Figure 2; and

Figure i represents a cross section through a portion of the burner taken on the line 4l4; of Figure l.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views.

Oil burners constructed in accordance with the present invention are suitable for use for heating purposes generally, although they are especially adapted for use in stoves, ranges, furnaces and the like, to adapt the same for the burning of oil instead of coal, wood, or similar fuel. The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing and will be hereinafter described in detail. It is to be under-- stood, however, that theinvention is not restricted to the precise construction shown, as equivalent constructions are contemplated and these will beincluded within the scope of the claims.

In the present instance, the burner comprises a base or supporting plate l which is preferably flat, or substantially so, shown, and when the burner is fitted into the tire pot or combustion chamber of the stove, range, furnace, or the like, this base or supporting plate is adapted to rest upon the top of the grate therein, it there be a grate, otherwise this supporting plate may be mounted on lugs or other suitable supporting means within the fire potor combustion chamber, it being immovable when in place. This base or supporting plate is provided with a suitable number of air supply holes which extend upwardly through it, it being provided with two of these holes 2 in the present instance. The base or supporting plate is also provided onits upper side and at or near its center, with a boss 3 which contains a cavity or socket 4;, which forms part of a sphere, an opening {Y8K- tending through the plate 1' from the center or bottom of the socket or cavity. A bowl 6 is mounted above the base or supporting plate, it being preferably in annular form and being channel-shaped in cross section; that is, it has inner and outer peripheral flanges or lips 7 and 8 which form an annular trough between them. This bowl is suitably mounted above the base or supporting plate 1 and preferably it is so mounted that this bowl may be adjusted to bring it into a level position, although the base or supporting plate 1 may be tilted or more or less out of level. Preferably and asshown, a web or spider 9 is provided on which the bowl 6 is mounted, this web or spider having arms which are shaped to fit into the spherical cavity or socket 1 in the base plate, and the upper or peripheral portion of the spider engages in the cavity formed within the inner circumferential flange 7 of the bowl. The spider is shiftable in the spheri cal socket or cavity, whereby the bowl may be brought into different angular relations to the supporting plate. Clamping bolts 10 preferably extend loosely through openings in. the supporting plate 1 and are engaged at their upper ends with the bowl 6 at opposite sides of its center, the wing nuts or e piivalant clamping means at the lower ends of these bolts engaging the underside of the grate or other suitable anchoring means within the stove or furnace, so that by inanipulating the wing nuts, the bowl can be brought into a level position and securely fastened in such position.

The burner also comprises a head 11 which is preferably approximately conical or hemispherical in form, it having a centrally and vertically extending vapor discharge orifice 12, which leads to its apex, and the surface 13 of this head is preferably formed with a suitable number of circumferentially extending grooves 14. The head also has preferably a lower peripheral lip 15 which overhangs and extends downwardly below the inner peripheral flange 7 of the bowl, the lip, however being spaced from the inner flange of the bowl to provide an air passage between these parts. Means is provided for preheating or superheating the oil, in order that it may be discharged in vapor form from the orifice 12, thus preparing the fuel for e'llicient and uniform combustion. Preferably and as shown, a superheating chamber 16 is provided within the head 11, this super-heating chamber being shownin the present instanceas formed centrally within the head and at the lower end of the discharge orifice 12, it being contained within a chamber 17 which is arranged within and extends downwardly below the lower edge vof the lip 15. This chamber 17 is of smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the inner flange 7 of the bowl, it thus providing an air passage between it and the bowl, which passage is continuous with the air passage which is formed between this inner flange of the bowl and the depending lip 15 of the burner head. The oil is supplied to the burner through an oil supply pipe 18 which connects with the hub of the spider 9, and the burner head 1 l is secured in fixed relation to the bowl by a nipple 19, which nipple also serves to supply the oil to the superheating chamber 16. The nipple 19 also serves to secure the spider 9 in fixed relation to the burner head and the bowl, the nipple having preferably a thread engagement. with the burner head and the spider which facilitates the attachment anddetachment of these parts. The burner head. is preferably provided with a suitable number of ribs or webs 20 which ar adapted to engage the upper and inner portions of the inner flange'l of the bowl, thus spacing the burner head relatively to the bowl to provide the annular air passage over the edge of the inner flange 7 and beneath the lip 15 of the burner head.

The air flowing upwardly through the inner flange 7 and over the top edge of this flange and downwardly and outwardly beneath the overhanging lip 15 of the burner head provides one source of air supply for the burner, the air so supplied feeding the necessary amount of oxygen to the inner site of the flame which is spread into annular form and surrounds and flows downwardly over the burner head 11, as will be hereinafter described. Means is also provided for feeding air which is preferably preheated, to the outer side of the annular flange. As shown, this latter air feeding means comprises an air chamber 21 having central compartment 22 and conduits 23which lead thereto fro opposite directions. he central compartment 22 occupies position in superposed relation with the burner head 11 and the peripheral edge 24; which surrounds the compartment 22 is spaced uniformly above the burner head and concentric thereto. The conduits 23 are adapted to receive air at the lower enns, they being located directly above the openings 2 in the base or supporting plate. The top wall of the chamber 21 is preferably formed with a depression 25 which acts to divert the bodies of air form the conduits 28 downwardly into the compartment 22, when these air columns meet. In order to prevent the vapor jet which is projected upwardly into the compartment 22 from the discharge orifice 12,

from spreading into the conduits 23 and to cause this vapor jet to'be deflected downwardly in flaring form with equal distribution around the burner head 11, a vapor equalizer is provided in the chamber 21, this vapor equalizer in the present instance being in the form of a cup 26 which is fixed to and projects downwardly from the top wall of the chamber 21, it being arranged concentrically and in alinement with the discharge orifice 12, the top of this cup being closed and the bottom thereof open, the lower edge of the cup being peripherally circular in cross section and alined in a plane perpendicular to the length of the discharge orifice 12. The air chamber 21 partly overlies the bowl 12 and the burner head, and hence it will be heated by the burner. In consequence, the air supplied to the zone of combustion through the conduits 23 and the compartment 22 will be preheated, thus facilitating combustion of the fuel. This chamber 21 is preferably supported on the bowl 6 by lugs 27 formed on the inner sides of the walls of the conduits 23 and which lugs are adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the outer peripheral flange 8 of the bowl, at opposite sides of the bowl. By mounting the chamber 21 in this way, the compartment 22 and the equalizer 26 are located in proper cooperative relation with the burner head, although the chamber 21 may be easily and quickly removed from the burner to permit cleaning and easily replaced in a correct position.

The operation of the burner herein shown and described is briefly as follows The oil, which may be in the form of crude oil or the relatively heavy fractions of hydrocarbon, is fed to the burner by the pipe 18 and the burner may be heated up to operating temperature in the usual way. The oil from the pipe 18 flows into the super-heating chamber 16, which, owing to its proximity to the zone of combustion, heats the oil therein up to the vaporizing point, or substanti ally so. By forming the super-heating chamber 16 of greatly increased diameter, as compared with the diameter of the discharge orifice 12, the oil flows very slowly through the super-heating chamber, thus offering ample time for the heating thereof. The oil vapor discharges upwardly through the ori- .fice 12 into the concentrically located equalizing cup 26, whereby the oil vapor is deflected downwardly in the form of a. flaring body and this flaring body of vapor passes downwardly through the space between the lower edge 24 of the compartment 22 and the surface of the burner head. At the same time, air passing upwardly through the conduits 23 comes in contact with the vapor deflected downwardly by the equalizing cup 26, thus supplying oxygen to support combustion to the outer side of the body of vapor. Also air passing upwardly through the spaces between the arms of the spider 9 from the opening 5 or the space between the base or supporting plate 1 and the underside of the bowl flows upwardly through the annular space between the super-heating chamber 17 and the inner flange 7 of the bowl and through the annular space between the upper'edge of the inner flange 7 of the bowl and the depending lip 15 of the burner head, and this body of air in annular form flows outwardly'from beneath the lip 15 of the burner-head and thus supplies oxygen to support combustion to the inner side of the annular body of vapor flowing downwardly in flaring form over the surface of the burner head. It is thus evident that the body of vapor will be supplied efficiently with air to support combustion. at both its inner and outer surfaces, thus insuring complete combustion of the vapor, and vaporization of the oil to insure efficient conibustion, is produced or facilitated by the super-heating of the oil in the super-heating chamber of the burner head, prior to its discharge from the burner orifice. Complete combustion of oil is further facilitated by the annular grooves 1a in the surface of the burner head, these grooves forming wells to retard the flow of any surplus or any unvaporized oil which may be discharged from the orifice, thus affording ample time for this surplus or unvaporized oil to become vaporized from the heated burner before passing to the point of COITllJUStlO-D.

I claim as my invention 1. An oil burner comprising a burner head having an upwardly-directed fuel discharge orifice, an air supply chamber having a compartment located opposite to said orifices to receive fuel discharged therefrom and connected to receive air and to direct the same downwardly toward the burner head, and a vapor equalizing cup located in said compartment in alinement with said orifice and surrounded by an air outlet passage leading from said chamber, said cup being operative to deflect vapor or fuel therefrom downwardly and in uniformly-distributed form around the burner head. i

2. An oil burner comprisingaburner head provided with an upwardly-directed fuel.- discharge orifice, and an air supply chamber having a central compartment mounted concentrically above the burner head and containing a fuel equalizer opposite to and in alinement with the fuel-discharge orifice, said compartn'ient having an air supply passage leading past the exterior of said equalizer toward said orifice, said chamber also having air-supply conduits leading to said compartment.

8. An oil burner comprising a burner head having an upwardly-directed fuel-discharge nozzle and a substantially conical upper surface concentric therewith, and an air-supply chamber having a compartment located concentrically above the burner head with its lower edge located in a plane below and surrounding the apex and orifice thereof, said chamber also having air supply conduits leading to said compartment. 7

4. An oil burner comprising a burner head having a fuel-discharge orifice and containing an oil-superheating chamber connected llO to supply vaporized oil to said orifice, and a bowl surrounding the burner head, an air passage leading past the-exterior of said superheating chamber to said bowl.

5. An oil burner comprisinga burner head having a fuel-dischargeorificeand means for deflecting the fuel from said orifice onto the head, the head containing an enlarged interior superheating chamber operative to superheat oil therein and to supply theoil thus vaporized to the discharge orifice and a bowl surrounding theburner head and having means for supplying air to its interior fro the exterior superheatingchamber.

.6. An oil burner comprising a burner head having a fuel-discharge orifice and a surrounding substantially conical-surface pro,- vided with circumferential oil-retaining grooves, and an. air supply chamber located above the burner head and embodying means for receiving the fuel discharged from said orifice and for deflecting such fu'el onto the surface of the burner head.

7. An oil burner comprising an annular trough-sha )ed bowl, .a burnerv headchaving an upwardly-directed fuel discharge orifice and a surrounding downwardly-sloping surface leading to said bowl, and an air supply chamber located. above the burner head and embodying means to receive fuel d1s-. charged from said orifice and to deflect such fuel downwardlyupon the surface-of the:v

burner head.

8. An oil burner comprising a boWl hav-. ing inner and outer upturned flanges, a burner head having an upwardly-directed fuel discharge orifice and a surrounding downwardly-sloping surface the inner flange of the bowl, anda supere posed air supply chamber embodying means for deflecting fuel dischargedfrom Said orifice downwardly onto said surface of they burner head.

9. An oil burner comprising a bowl having an annular inner upturned flange, a burner head fitted into said flange and forming an air passage between it and said flange, said head also having an upwardly-directed fuel-discharge orifice and a surrounding downwardly and outwardly sloping surface which overlies the upper edgeof-said inner fiange of the bowl, and air supply means for overhanging deflecting-fuel discharged from said orifice downwardly and onto. the surface of the burner head. v

10. An oilv burner comprising an annu lar trough-shaped bowl, a burner head having an upwardlydirected fuel-discharge orifice and a surrounding downwardly and outwardly sloping surfacevvhiclr extends below the plane of the inner edge of the bowl, means for supplying air around the lower edge; of said surface, and means for projecting the fuel discharged from said orifice and also air downwardly onto said surface ofthe burner head.

11. An oil burner comprising an open-top trough-shapedbowl, a burner head overlying the inner edge of the bowl and embodying an upwardly directed fuel discharge orifice, and an air-supply chamber having a compartment positioned concentricall-y above the-burnerhead and having branches extending beyond the bowl for supplying air -to said compartment, said branches having lugs to rest on the outer edge of the bowl and thus support and position said chamber.

12. An oil burner comprising a base, a bowl having a tiltable'supportonsaid' base,

and means for adjusting and holding said bowl'i'n different tilted positions relatively in said base.

l3. An oil burner comprising a base provided with a spherical seat, a spider rockably' fitted to said seat, -a bowl supported .on said spider, and means for clamping the bowl and base together in different tilted porting the' bowl, burner head and said chamber'for adjustment as a unit relatively to said base.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSSIE A. LEE. Vitnesses O'rro Horrsranrrnn,

HELEN- M. 'MATHERS. 

